Future was orange for seagull that fell into vat of chicken tikka masala

A seagull turned bright orange after he plunged into a vat of chicken tikka masala.

The bird fell in to a container of the food while trying to scavenge a piece of meat from a food factory bin on Monday.

He was rescued by workers at the site, in Wales, and picked up by a volunteer for Vale Wildlife Hospital near Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire.

Staff at the centre used washing up liquid on the seagull to remove the bright orange from his feathers.

They managed to return him back to his original white colour but have not been able to wash away the smell of curry.

Lucy Kells, veterinary nurse at the hospital, said: “He really surprised everyone here - we had never seen anything like it before.

“He had fallen into a waste vat of curry that was outside, it was chicken tikka masala.

“The thing that shocked us the most was the smell. He smelled amazing, he really smelled good.

“He cleaned up surprisingly well at the hospital, we used washing up liquid a few times.”

The bird, which has been nicknamed Gullfrazie on Facebook, was put into a cage after his ordeal. Staff are feeding him meat, dog or cat food and pieces of chopped fish to build up his weight.

“He is a bit skinny so we are building his strength up a bit,” Mrs Kells said. “I guess that’s why he was trying to get a piece of meat from the vat and fell in.”

He will be transferred into an outside aviary to re-waterproof his feathers in the coming weeks before being released into the wild.

“Because he was uninjured by it, and we were able to get it off him, we are able to have a bit of a giggle,” Mrs Kells said. “I think he has been put off spicy food but otherwise he seems to be doing really well.

“I’ve been a veterinary nurse for 25 years and I have never seen this happen before.”

The age of the seagull is unknown but he is over two because of the colour of his feathers.

Vale Wildlife Hospital, a registered charity, was established in 1984 and cares for 5,000 animals a year.